Chronicles Of Shibusen
by Roxanne-chan
Summary: Ten years after Soul Eater, a new batch of young meisters and weapons are up for the challenge. OC Contest winners story. Hope it doesn't suck! T 'cause I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

_Cheers for procrastination! I know, I know, it's been a month. I suck. But I am a total perfectionist, and, especially since I'm using other people's characters, I really didn't want to disappoint anyone. I didn't start off with much of a story. Now, I sorta kinda have one. If it sucks, I'm sorry. I'm trying my best._

_Also, so that the series doesn't have too many main characters, some of the OCs will only have cameos. Nonetheless, I will try my best to incorporate everybody. Well, here goes nothing!_

_Thanks for all the support! The most of gotten on any of my SE stories! And I haven't even started yet! (Geez, no pressure...)_

_P.S. I Googled "Phasmology" out of curiousity. Third hit was my contest. Yippee!_

Chapter 1

Alliance

Leanna Maeduin wasn't what you'd call a cautious person, especially during the day. During the day she was normally half asleep, uncaring, practically oblivious to what was going on. But she did have a brain.

That's why she had brought her team with her to meet this mysterious witch who had called her out about a week ago. She didn't know much about this witch, except that, according to the note, they had "a common goal in mind, and they could help each other achieve it."

She had no clue who this person was, or what they were capable of, so her group of a witch and two kishins followed her, and were going to watch this entire exchange, just in case something went wrong.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Leanna heard her right-hand girl, Alice, say for the millionth time since she got that note, her puffy blue dress bouncing as she walked, "I mean, what if this is a trick, and instead of one witch, there are seven thousand? Or what if she kills you? What if she pushes you into a river? Or down a well? Or what if there are aliens-"

"Alice," Leanna interrupted in a quiet, but harsh, voice, "Either shut your mouth, or stop letting your over-active imagination run your mind!"

"Hey!" Ryan, the only boy in the team, shouted, "Don't talk to Alice that way!"

"Be quiet, Ryan," Leanna snipped, "We don't want to be heard."

"Y'know," Ryan continued, but this time in a whisper, "Alice would be able to stop worrying if Viv could, I dunno, _be useful_ and see what was going to happen."

"I can't control when I have visions," Viv, the only other witch in the group, said quietly, looking down at her bare feet. Or, she would be looking down, except for the fact that her eyes were covered with a black blindfold, like always.

"I'm just saying it would be a major help if you could," Ryan responded, pushing a piece of strawberry-blond hair out of his eyes with his fingertips.

"Everyone," Leanna stuck out her arm, forcing the team to stop, "Get into your battle positions and hide. Go!" Individually, each person hid behind a rock, in this particularly rocky part of the Nevada desert.

Ryan transformed his arm into a drill, ready for attack, while Viv solidified her soul wavelength, creating a throwing knife, as she pressed her small body up against another rock, listening carefully for any indication of another presence. Alice pushed her straight black hair out of her emerald green eyes with her black headband, so she could see better from her perch, and placed her hand on the handle of her sword, ready to unsheathe it from her belt if necessary. Quietly, she removed her pocket watch from the front pocket of her white apron, and checked the time. 11:59 pm. This mystery witch was due to arrive in less then one minute.

Leanna, meanwhile, got to the meeting place; the biggest rock in this part of the desert, big enough so that a hundred people could easily stand on it's flat surface. The witch used her hand, which was covered by her oversized brown sweater, to push back her bangs, revealing both of her hazel eyes, and scanning the night. Nothing to see except rocks, flat earth, and a barely-visible dot of light, known as Death City. Leanna gritted her teeth. Whoever this person was, they were taking a serious risk being even this close to Shibusen. Leanna dropped her bangs, which covered one eye, just as Alice's pocket watch struck midnight.

"Hi!" Leanna turned around to see a girl that looked to be in her mid-teens behind her. This girl had thick, black hair in a short bob, large eyes that shone bright yellow, and a flat chest. She looked innocent enough in her long yellow tee and silver jeans, but that was all the more reason for Leanna to worry.

"Are you the person who called this meeting?" Leanna asked the girl.

"Uh-huh," she nodded, smiling, "I'm Nola."

Leanna raised an eyebrow, "And why did you suggest we meet?"

"Because I need your help," Nola stepped closer to Leanna, "It's kind of a long story, so get comfy."

Leanna sat down cautiously, but not before giving Alice, who's emerald green eyes shone from atop a rock behind Nola, a look of warning. Alice nodded into the blackness, and only then did Leanna settle herself in. Nola sat down next to her, and Leanna scooted to the right so she was a safe distance away.

"You see," Nola started, her voice growing more serious and sinister with each word she spoke, "I need you and your little posse. I need an army to help me take down Shibusen however and whenever. With your witch expertise, your friend Viv's eyes, your pet Kishin's, Alice, I think her name is, fighting skills, and, most importantly, Alice's pet's connections to Shibusen."

Leanna widened her eyes, before narrowing them suspiciously, "How do _you_ know that?"

"Oh," Nola instantly reverted to bubbly teenager mode, "I do my research. It's not that hard, really. You're famous. Mabaa's runaway daughter. But it _was_ hard to find out about that rag-tag little team of yours."

Leanna clenched her teeth, trying to hide her fear. This girl swang back and forth faster then a clock pendulum. Obviously, it meant she probably wasn't mentally sound. Leanna stood, with a, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be making any alliances today." She was about to give the signal, when Nola spoke up.

"Do you really want to do that, Leanna?" Nola drawled. Leanna peered down at the girl, who was still sitting, face obscured by shadows, though all semblance of good had been drained from her voice, to be replaced with quiet evil, "Do you really want to see me angry?"

"'Cause," Nola started to stand, saying each word with vengeful meaning, "You won't like me when I'm angry."

At that moment, Alice, Viv, and Ryan appeared from behind the rocks, armed, and ready for a fight. Nola directed her sinister gaze at Ryan, who took a visible step back.

Nola snickered, "A weak, cowardly soul, this boy has. Pitiful, really." She looked directly at Leanna, her intentions blatant, "A soul like his is ridiculously easy to possess. Is that what you want?" Leanna raised an eyebrow. Honestly, if she lost Ryan, that was okay with her.

Then, Nola turned her gaze to Viv, "Or hers, maybe. Her soul is so timid and sweet. I always loved to see such people suffer."

_No..._

The witch turned to Leanna again, seeing the instant change in her facial expression, "I don't suppose you'd want that, either." Nola held out her right hand, "Alliance, and then I won't do anything to harm your little friends."

Leanna stared at Nola for a moment, seeing the bloodthirsty, insane twinkle in her eyes, knowing that this girl was willing to do anything to get what she wanted. "One question," Leanna risked, watching the evil shimmer disappear completely from Nola's eyes, replaced with pure sweetness and rainbows.

"Sure!" she chirped.

"Why do you want to take down Shibusen?" Leanna asked.

"Why do you?" Nola asked right back.

Leanna was silent for a moment, "None of your business."

"Same," the girl grinned, palm still extended, "Deal?"

The otter witch was still, before stubbornly accepting Nola's hand, shaking on it, "Deal."

With that, Leanna silenced her crew, and was on her way out of there.

"So?" Nola stopped at the sound, turning to face her accomplice. From the shadows of the rocks, a man with a thick black hooded cloak appeared, his emerald eyes visible through the slits of his white mask.

Nola gave a wide, laughing smile, "They're in."

"What are you planning, Nola?" The girl giggled at the man's stupidity, patting his hair as if he were some sort of large obedient dog.

"Don't worry, Dardanos," Nola reassured, "Just keep observing the girl, and everything will be fine. With her and Leanna's team," her voice once again took on it's natural twisted tone, "we'll destroy Shibusen from the inside out."

_MWAHAHA! MWAHAHA! MWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, I love Nola. She's just so evil! I'm gonna have some serious fun with her character!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Yay! Another late update! And expect another, 'cause I literally do not have the next chapter written. I kind of know what I want to do, but I still need some ideas. No, the story still isn't completely finished in my head (do you know how hard it is to properly develop and give meaning to over forty characters?), so I probably won't be able to flush out many more chapters until I know exactly what to do. Ugh, the trials of a perfectionist. _

_I really don't want to let you guys down, so, if you want to, give me some ideas. I might not use them, but they'll help. Again, I have the basic plot, but don't know how to weave it all together.  
_

_Oh, by the way, this chapter is mildly suckier then the first. Just FYI._

* * *

Chapter 2

Teams

Felix, upon entering, looked around Class Laughing Sun, searching for any sign of his friends. No luck. _Late,_ he thought. They were always late. Maybe Shadow had forgotten something, or Storm had stepped on Shadow's black cat, Jinx, or maybe they were just going at it again.

"Not here," Felix announced to his petite weapon partner, Echo, as he adjusted his brown fedora, pushing some of his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. Her long hair changed from it's usual content saffron, to a sky blue, which indicated disappointment, just as easily as the expression on her face changed.

"Darn," she muttered as the pair clamoured to their seats, "I wonder what fresh hell they're putting Asa through now."

Mounting the steps, the two got several, "Hey, Felix,"s shot in their direction, followed by an awkward pause, then a, "Hey, Echo." Even though she had been a student at Shibusen for as long as everyone else in the room, everything from her hair to her past mystified everyone, including Felix, who personally hated being mystified. That's why he became Echo's meister in the first place; to figure her out. So far, little luck.

Plus, Echo was just the kinda girl who creeped most people out.

As they settled into their seats in the top centre row, Echo opened up the colourfully woven bag, about the size of a man's hand, she always carried around, and produced a binder, a pencil case, her Phasmology textbook, a few extra pencils, and a small bag of Doritos.

"Chip?" Echo offered, which Felix accepted without hesitation. Before, he had been slightly weary of whatever came out of that bag (Echo claimed that is was fairy-made*, and Felix saw no reason to doubt her), but chips were chips.

She took a handful for herself, and was just about to put it away when a familiar voice piped in, "Ooo! Chips!"

Echo, her hair reverting to saffron, happily handed the bag to her friend, Shadow, her gold eye twinkling, her violet one covered with her bangs; a section of her natural black hair dyed purple. Shadow took a big handful, attempting to somehow daintily shove it in her mouth, and failing miserably. At the moment, Storm, Shadow's twin brother, tried to snatch some, too, only to have his hand slapped away by Shadow herself.

"Hey!" Storm withdrew his hand, "What was that for?

"You didn't ask!" Shadow countered.

"Neither did you!"

"I implied that I wanted chips!"

"Implied my-"

"Hey!" both twins stopped their semi-constant bickering to face their meister, Asami, who gracefully glided between the two on her roller-blades, separating them, "Quit the fighting, or you'll both get time-outs." She tried to look serious, but the slight smirk on her lips suggested that she was joking. She added, "Oh, and gimme one of those chips."

Frowning, Shadow thumped down in her chair and gave Asa the bag. Asa then dug into the bag, producing a handful, which she gave to Storm, who frowned back, refusing them. He hated being babied.

Asa then shrugged, at the chips herself, and passed the bag back to Echo, saying, "Hey, guys. How ya doin'?". She sat down and pushed down the hood of her black hoodie, revealing her short, lime green hair, as always-talkative Echo responded.

Tough, yet patient and mellow, Asami was probably the coolest person at Shibusen. She was well-known and well-liked, with her omnipresent roller-blades and smile. She really didn't care what anybody thought. And, once upon a time, she might have been pretty; her face was nice, and her crescent-shaped blue eyes sparkled. Even her hair, the little that there was, was silky, despite the harsh hair-dyes.

And, Felix reflected, her relaxed wavelength was the only reason Shadow and Storm could resonate at all.

His thoughts were cut short however, by the teachers, Ms. Bliss Warren, called for quiet. Bliss was a good enough teacher, Felix thought. Very sarcastic and cynical at times. Anybody else would think that a cheery teacher would do a better job, but Bliss's dry wit amused the students, and it made her seem like more of a person when she complained

"Now," Bliss started, "Today is a very important day. Anybody know why?" No one spoke. "Because, today, you will all be placed into teams, each of three meister-weapon pairs. You will be able to go on missions of your choosing with your own meister or weapon, but each team will be given a few missions to complete." Bliss held up a sheet of paper, and started reading from it.

"First off, Team Zeta. Felix St. James and Echo Guildersleeve." Echo and Felix gave each other a look.

"Miz Fossil and Evie Gunner." Echo broke out into a huge smile. Evie, a small, tanned girl in pink and black, who happened to be one of Echo's friends, waved like crazy to the pair. Echo waved right back. But Felix was more concerned about Miz, trying to decide if them being on the same team was good or bad.

Miz Fossil, with her scars, eyepatch, cloud of puffy ginger hair, and trench coat, was not the most welcoming person in the world. Not hostile, really, but not friendly, either. She arrived late for the very first term, and rumour has it she was thrown in the dungeons when she first arrived. There were whispers of her being a witch, or in cahoots with various evil organizations, each suggestion more ridiculous then the next.

But, she was supposed to be a good fighter, and pretty smart, too. That would help.

"And, your captain," Bliss called the class back to Earth, "Asami Kuraski, and her weapons, Storm and Shadow Mitchellson." Storm and Felix faced each other for a mutual fist-bump of victory and partnership.

"Secondly, Team Sigma. Carmine di Clora & Jai Warren." They turned to face the called team; a tall, beautiful, well-endowed Carmine, and the small, pale, androgynous Jai, Bliss's only son, though Felix could barely see how they were related, what with close to no corresponding features. Jai's hair was wispy and black, while Bliss's was reddish-brown and straight. And Jai was far skinnier then Bliss was or ever could have been. But they both shared those wide green eyes. And, Felix assumed, they both had the same disease, probably genetic, which caused them to cough up blood on occasion.

Huh, maybe they were related.

"Brina Hathaway, Shiro, and Kuro." The three smiled from their spot. Brina was cool. Friendly and chill. Kind of like Asa, except older, with light-brown hair and a petite frame. But Shiro and Kuro were interesting. They were twins, like Shadow and Storm, but didn't bicker nearly as much. Though they looked very different, though. Storm and Shadow, with their black hair, gold and violet eyes, lanky figures, and dark clothes (though Shadow preferred purple and Storm preferred red), they looked like twins. But, like the Warrens, Kuro and Shiro, besides their shared brown eyes, wore total opposites on first sight; Shiro had her curly, blond hair and light clothes, Kuro had his light brown hair and black clothes.

Then again, Shadow and Storm had very similar personalities, but Kuro and Shiro didn't. Maybe that's why Storm and Shadow fought so much, but Shiro and Kuro didn't.

Felix smirked at his far-too-long train of thought. Only he would think about the subject known as Human Interaction for so long.

But then Bliss said something that brought Felix right back to Earth, "And the captains, Leslie Wheatley and Katja Smith."

There was an instant outbreak of murmuring and not-so-subdued laughter after that announcement. Everyone turned to face the two; gorgeous Katja, who was looking increasingly irritated at her meister, who was currently sinking lower and lower into his seat.

"Poor Leslie." Felix turned to see Echo, pouting, her hair a sympathetic Alice blue. "Why can't everyone just leave the guy alone?"

Felix kept his yap shut, 'cause he knew, along with everyone else, that Leslie Wheatley was not cut out for the job of captain. He was a nice guy, he really was, but he was so shy and withdrawn, harmless, really. He was not a ruthless Kishin killer, barely managing to have collected more then ten souls in total. Felix understood why Wheatley looked like he wanted to die.

But what he didn't get was why Katja still stayed with him. A shameless flirt, and good-looking to match, she could get any guy to be her meister, but yet she chose Wimpy Wheatley, as several students called him.

Felix stopped thinking about it. One unanswerable question like that was enough to drive him insane for a week. Instead listening as Bliss listed the rest of the teams.

When Bliss had, she added, "Team captains, please meet me after class for mission assignments. Now, let's turn to page one-o-seven..."


	3. Chapter 3

_Another chapter up and finished. Finally, I know. I'll make a promise to you guys, though it's kinda weak. Ahem- I, Roxanne-chan, will upload the latest chapter of Chronicles Of Shibusen before the last chapter disappears from my Doc Manager box (so at least one every 60 days). I know, weak, but guess what? I have an art project to finish, a geography project to finish, an English project to finish, a math test around the bend, four dances to memorize, grad prep to do, and I'm now apparently a member of the Drama Club, so I have a month to memorize the script. Ugh. Life. It sucks eggs._

_Well, anyways, ON WIT ZE SHOW!_

* * *

Chapter 3

Assignment

After class, Felix and Echo, like many other classmates, decided to wait outside. It was a lovely day, dry and warm, with a cool breeze running through Death City. In the shade of the trees, Felix looked around at the other people, while Echo glanced at the branches dancing in the wind, her hair reverting to a dreamy periwinkle blue.

"Hey," Felix turned and grinned to see whoever was settling down next to him; Jason Hutchins and Beni Jackson.

"Hey, guys," Felix replied, "How's it going?"

Before Jason could answer, Beni answered in her usual bored, emotionless voice, "Terribly."

"Not that terribly," Jason muttered in response.

"Terribly," Beni repeated, "We're still stuck doing grounds keeping."

"You spent your entire weekly allowance again?" Everyone was surprised to see Echo back in the conversation, her locks now a sympathetic Alice blue, though with a touch of scarlet irritability. Felix didn't blame her; this happened every week.

"Y-yeah," Jason stuttered, averting his eyes from Echo. Ha had a habit of stuttering, tripping, or even fainting while among the opposite sex, even though his partner was female. It was sad, really.

Beni rolled her deep brown eyes and started playing with the fringe of one of her dark braids, "Yep. That's the only reason why we're still in residence is the fact that we can't seem to keep our money."

She shot an accusing eye at Jason, who had behind his dyed-grey bangs and replied, "Sorry."

"Whatever," she muttered, before looking around, "I guess we're getting good at it, anyhow. Grounds keeping, I mean."

"Hey, Ben!" someone called out. Beni looked to find one of her friends, Lane Nadine Lynch, waving her over from beside AJ Faust. With a "see ya", she departed, leaving Felix, Jason, and Echo, who was back on the moon.

At that moment, Asami, Shadow, and Storm came outside, and approached them, mission dossiers in hand. Felix and Echo stood up, bidding Jason good-bye, meeting them halfway.

"So," Felix said, "What did you get us?"

"Just a sec," Asa held up a finger, before calling out, "HEY! MIZ! EVIE!" The two turned to face them from their perch on a bench several yards away, Evie chatting with little Kokoro Moon and her meister, Alisz Quinn.

Right. Felix had kinda forgotten about them.

Asa waved them over. Seeming to say good-bye, too, they hurried over to their team.

"Alright," Asa grinned, "Now that everyone is here, I can announce our mission. Shadow."

Shadow playfully cleared her throat, Storm rolling his eyes, before she read off of the dossier, "Our mission is in a town called Pennington, Pennsylvania. There's been reports of Kishin murders there. Bloody, but not too bad, looks like." She looked up at Team Zeta, "Sound good?"

Most people nodded or stated their agreement, but Felix noticed how Miz stayed mute, shrugging. In fact, he had probably seen her speak a total of five sentences since he's met her. Not that she seemed like the chatty type.

Felix remembered the rumours about her, how she might be a witch, or affiliated with them, and he adjusted his fedora, a nervous habit. One thing was for sure; this Miz chick wouldn't be easy to trust.

* * *

Just as they were trekking through the Appalachian mountains, in the dead of night, Viv had a vision. They could tell, because she froze mid-step, apparently unaware of Ryan's call, "Hello! Earth to Viv!"

Then, when she snapped out of it, she said, "I think I just had two visions at once."

Silence, then Alice asked, "What?"

"What were they of?" Leanna questioned.

"The first was of something soon," Viv claimed, "An owl, and a cave. And Shibusen people, too."

"Was it the cave we're going to?" Leanna asked.

"I don't know," Viv admitted, "Just a cave, and an owl. But the Shibusen people were young," she added, "Students, not teachers or Death Scythes. That's it."

"I could waste a Shibusen student," Alice fingered her sword, "Easy peasy."

"Yeah," Ryan agreed, though he looked a bit hesitant. Wondering if they would be people he knew. People who knew Mina.

"And the second one?" Leanna urged.

"Red hair and scars," Viv replied, "And blood. Lots and lots of blood. And Shibusen again. And, when I had that vision, I felt..." she searched for the right word, "Desperate."

"Really?" Everyone froze at the sound of an unknown voice. They all turned, finding the source; a young, big-boned woman, lounging on a tree limb, head hanging off the edge, white-tipped, light brown hair wild and curly over the side, loose fabric of her white shirt dangling.

"Those are two very interesting revelations," the woman continued, bracelets and anklets jingling as she jumped off her branch to the ground, "I don't know if they apply to me, but I certainly know someone they'll apply to."

Alice drew her sword, but Leanna was quicker, using her otter's speed to grab the woman by the neckline of her blouse, pulling her upwards.

"How much did you hear?" Leanna hissed.

"Enough," the woman replied, smirking, a manic gleam in her blue eyes.

"If you repeat this to anyone-" Leanna started, but was drowned out by the woman's laughter.

"Are you threatening me?" the woman guffawed, "I'm not afraid of _you_. Mabaa's disgrace of a daughter? _Please_."

"So you're a witch?" Leanna hissed.

"You bet," the woman smirked, "And if you don't let go of me, I'm afraid I'll have to demonstrate."

Gruffly removing one of her hands from the witch's collar, Leanna produced her otter's claws from her fist, and was about to slash the woman's cheek when-

Her hand fell due to a sudden addition of weight. Leanna looked down, only to see her hand encased in ice, which was quickly spreading onto the grass, attaching her clawed hand to the ground. The witch pulled away from Leanna's now-loosened grip, backing away a safe distance.

"What happened?" Viv whimpered, unaware thanks to her lack of sight. But no one heard her, as Alice pulled her sword out, shrieking, "YOU BITCH!"

The witch merely did the same to her, freezing her hands to her blade, but Alice kept going, aiming at the witch's head. Just barely dodging it, the witch retreated back to the safety of her tree, leaving Alice, hands dragged to the ground from the weight of the ice, panting and cursing.

"My, my," the woman now had a twisted grin on her face, "You are pretty stupid, aren't you? You don't want to hurt me; I know about this little secret vision. You hurt me, I tattle."

"You can't tattle if you're dead!" Alice challenged, but the woman ignored her.

"And I think Shibusen would like to know that some desperate, scarred redhead of theirs is going to be in a bloody mess soon, don't you?" the witch asked, smirking.

"What do you want?" Leanna hissed.

"What do I want?" the witch indicated herself, as if to say, "Who? Lil' old me?", and thinking for a moment, before turning to Alice, "That necklace."

"What?" Alice was confused, staring down at her necklace; simple chain, with a rose pendant, half-white, half-red, "What the hell do you want my necklace for?"

"No reason, really," the woman shrugged, "I just like it. Hey, ginger boy," she indicated Ryan with her chin, "Grab me the girl's necklace and I won't tell."

"What?" Leanna couldn't believe it, "You'll stay quiet for a necklace?"

"Hey," the witch reasoned, "That necklace is worth more to me then that stupid vision. But I know you don't want it getting out, so gimme the freakin' necklace."

"Fine," Alice rolled her eyes, before displaying her neck, "Ryan? Please and thank you."

"Chop, chop, ginger boy," the witch added.

Ryan gave the witch a look, before marching over to Alice, muttering, "I'm not a ginger," unclasping the necklace, and tossing it to the woman. She caught it flawlessly, putting it on next to her own necklace, with a magenta teardrop charm.

"Your secret's safe with me," the witch smiled, before performing a back flip to the forest floor, and running through the forest.

"Let's hope that's the last of her," she heard Leanna mutter, "Now help me defrost myself."

The witch fingered her new necklace, smirking to herself. Good deal; a new necklace and some new drama. Right when things were getting boring.

_I'll head to Nevada,_ she thought, _Then things will get really interesting._


	4. Chapter 4

_Now for an update from my life (feel free to skip): 1. JUST SAW WARHOUSE OMG LOVED LOVED LOVED IT! 2. Haven't been able to catch up on my usual writing because I've been busy with my final Geography project (due Tuesday. Ugh.), 3. In my off time I have been writing; a) Chrinicles of Shibusen, and b) the Witch's Eyes, which I haven't updated in months, but might soon. MIGHT. And 4. GRAD IS IN LESS THEN TWO WEEKS EEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! If you can't tell, I'm super excited._

_Anyways, let's continue with our regularly scheduled programming._

* * *

Chapter 4

Trees

"Appalachia is is so pretty!" Evie exclaimed, looking at the majestic pines and thick woods that surrounded the small dirt road, "Isn't it, Miz?"

Miz shrugged, staying silent. Felix wondered why Evie even bothered encouraging conversation with Miz; for all Felix had seen, Miz could have been mute.

"In the middle of freaking nowhere is more like it," Shadow muttered. Storm gave a grunt of agreement. One of the few things the twins could agree on was that they couldn't survive without the Internet, phone lines, and indoor plumbing.

"Seriously, though," Storm added, "What Kishin in their right mind would hunt here? There's no one to kill!"

"I'm pretty sure that's a good thing, Storm," Shadow rolled her eyes.

"I know," Storm retaliated, "I'm just saying that, if_ I _were a Kishin, I would be hunting somewhere that's actually inhabited."

"There's a town here! It's inhabited! Besides, if you're a Kishin, you would want to hunt in the middle of nowhere! All these people would just disappear! Tracks erased! No investigations, blamed on a bear attack."

"Well, in a city, people get murdered all the time! When a body's found, it's no biggie. In a small town, it's a huge biggie!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

Well, the peace was nice while it lasted.

The twins argued the rest of the way up the trail, until they came to a small wooden sign, reading _Welcome to Pennington; Pop: 500._ There was a small neighbourhood of houses, all wooden, greeting them. Completely abandoned, it seemed, all shutters closed.

"What happened?" Echo asked, her hair a mix of cerulean sadness, and violet anxiousness. No one answered.

"Was the place evacuated?" Felix wondered aloud. Again, no answer.

Asa skated around for a second, before stopping, cupping her hands around her mouth, and hollering, "Anyone here?"

_Click click._

Everyone turned to find the source of the familiar, bone-chilling sound. Standing on the porch of a baby blue house was a serious, middle-aged woman, with frazzled grey hair, and a face creased with fear, with scared looking boy, no older then thirteen, pointing a rifle at them.

"Put your hands up!" the boy yelled, shaking.

Team Zeta did as we were told. Miz, however, calmly reached into her inner coat pocket.

"PUT YOUR GODDAMN HANDS UP!" the boy shrieked. The woman gave him a _Sh_ look, before turning back to the meisters and weapons.

Miz removed her hand from her pocket, holding out her student ID. "Shibusen," she said, her voice steady, "We're here to help."

The boy looked back at the woman, who nodded. The boy lowered the firearm, half-relieved and half-suspicious. The woman, on the other hand, barked, "Inside. Now. And don't make a racket; you scared us half to death."

The team looked at each other, before scurrying into the house, the boy locking the door behind him, and shoving the rifle into a closet. The woman, on the other hand, was in the kitchen.

"'Bout damn time you got here," the woman said as she fiddled with something in a frying pan, "That damn girl's been rampaging our town for two weeks. Five people have been killed. Took forever to get the message out."

"What's been going on?" Felix asked.

"WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON?" the woman exclaimed, before calming herself, "I'll tell you what's been going on. Two weeks ago, someone was found dead. Not only dead," she looked straight at the group, "Cut up. Cut up so much, they were unrecognizable. Looked like part of 'em was," the woman swallowed, "_Eaten_."

Felix suppressed a shudder as the woman continued, "Then, a few days later, little Clare Detrick and Katy Fader went to get the Detrick's cat in the woods. Same thing. Cut up. Dead. Next, Earlean Setton was found, her husband Neil raving about some teenage girl who cut up his wife and ate her soul. Almost got him, too. He lost a hand. We knew we were dealing with a Kishin. By the time Darren Grandison was found, everyone was in hiding." The woman was now crying a little bit.

"What does the Kishin look like?" Asa asked.

"Like Neil said, a teenage girl," the woman muttered, "I don't know the rest; you'll have to ask him."

"Good luck," the boy added, "He's gone completely nutso."

"LEO!" the woman chided. The boy, Leo, shut up. She turned to the team, "He's not sound; keeps screaming and ranting. But he lives on the east end of town, where all the attacks happened. If you go there," the woman looked grave, "Be prepared."

* * *

"This is so creepy," Shadow whimpered from his weapon form; a ninja knife with a violet handle.

"Creepy? This is not creepy!" Storm cried from the red-handled ninja knife in Asa's other hand, "This is freaking terrifying!"

"Don't worry," Felix said, holding onto Echo in her weapon form; a white, futuristic, cannon-like flame-thrower, with a strip of colour along the side, currently violet, with dark brown seriousness, "We can take whatever it is. Besides, we're just here to talk to this Neil guy."

"But that kid said he was nutso!" Storm said, "Who says he won't just completely snap and kill us all!"

"Goddammit, Storm!" Shadow cried in frustration, "Are you a weapon or not?"

"This is it," Asa muttered. The team stopped in front of an old, weathered wooden house, "Who wants to knock?"

Silence, then Miz, Evie, now an electric whip, in hand, started towards the porch.

A piercing shriek cut through the air.

Everyone froze. The shriek went on and on and on, inhuman, full of agony and despair.

"This way!" Asa said, heading towards the shriek. The other two meisters followed.

Asa led them to the woods behind the house. Running as fast as they dared, through the thick undergrowth, towards the source of the never-ending cry.

Then, it stopped, a new sound in it's place. A rasping, high-pitched voice.

"Cut, cut, cut," it hissed, "Cut, cut, cut." And ripping. The horrendous sound of ripping flesh.

Felix, hiding behind a tree, turned to look at whatever was making that noise. Obscured by a few trees, he could see something moving, a patch of dark brown hair, pale skin, and blood. So much blood. The smell of death weighed down the air.

He looked over to Asa, who nodded. Taking it as a signal, he turned to face the Kishin in the clearing, all three meisters starting towards it.

Now that he had a good view of the carnage, Felix almost puked.

She looked like a normal teenage girl. Dark brown hair, pale skin, dark blue eyes. She wore a typical teenage outfit; a black tank top with a purple undershirt, black short shorts, black high-heeled boots, and fishnets. The only thing not typical about it was the fact that she was using a bloody kitchen knife to dismember... something. It was too mutilated to be known as a human anymore. Felix watched as the girl cut off a piece of flesh, and then shoving it greedily into her bloodstained mouth.

The girl then stopped, and turned to face the team. A smile spread across her face as she giggled girlishly, chirping in a sing-song voice, "Cut, cut, cut!"

That's when Felix snapped into action mode, hoisting his weapon up and aiming it at the demon girl. That action seemed to awaken Asa, too. Miz was already poised to strike.

"You've had your fun," Asa hissed, voice steady, "And now we have to take your soul."

The team flinched as the girl let out high-pitched, maniacal laughter; positively shrieking, as if what Asa had suggested was beyond hysterical. Miz, on the other hand, took it as an opening.

The redhead lunged towards the girl, electric whip cracking in the air, wrapping around the demon's arms. The girl's shriek of happiness turned to a shriek of pain as the whip electrocuted her. She fell to the ground, her body flexing, contracting, shaking.

When the electrocution finally ended, the girl stayed on the ground. Judging by the way her body shook, she was now crying.

Asa approached, cautious, weapons at the ready. Suddenly, the girls sat up and threw the knife. Asa just dodged it, the weapon still managing to slice a deep gash into her arm, but flying past and staking a tree. The blood gushed, but Asa still managed to get the demon girl across the cheek. The girl hissed, before launching herself at the knife meister. Using her legs and good arm, Asa pushed the girl away from her as she tried to bite the meister.

Suddenly, the kishin shrieked again. Its back was on fire. It jumped off Asa, falling back on the ground, still shrieking.

Asa turned to face Felix, flamethrower smoking. "Thanks," Asa breathed.

"Don't mention it," Felix replied.

The girl was on her stomach, kicking and screaming and crying and biting, like the Gimme-Monster from hell, trying desperately to put out the inferno eating at her flesh. In a flash, Miz had the electric whip around her neck, pulling her upwards as she continued to thrash and shout, as Asa took careful aim with Storm.

"Have fun in hell," Asa spat, before expertly spearing the ninja knife through the demon.

The girl sputtered for a moment or two, before completely dissolving, leaving only a bright red orb floating in the air. Everyone changed out of weapon form, the meisters panting, adrenaline still pumping.

As Storm freaked out and shivered at the thought of him impaled through a demon's heart, Echo, her hair now a mixture of yellow-brown disgust, sandy-brown exhaustion, with a bit of eggplant-coloured horror left over, muttered, "Who do you think that poor man was?"

Everyone was silent as Miz said, "I'll bet that was Neil Setton." No one responded.

Shadow, who was looking at Asa's arm, commented, "That's pretty nasty. D'you think there's a hospital around here?"

"Probably not," Felix admitted, "We'll have to patch that up ourselves."

Suddenly, Evie froze, hissing, "Did you guys here that?"

Everyone quieted, hearing the barely audible swishes and cracks, steadily coming towards them.

It was then that an unseen presence made itself known.


	5. Chapter 5

_I will say it; This. Chapter. B.L.O.W.S. _

_Sorry, but, I just could not think of a genuinely good way to write it. Sorry, and I promise the next one will be better._

_Also, as for my updates, they might be getting slower. I'm finally, FINALLY, starting my book, so I'l be spending a lot of time on that. I won't forget you guys, though :)_

* * *

Chapter 5

Owl

Everyone instantly turned, weapons transforming in a split second, back into their meister's hands. Armed, they faced the newcomer.

Facing them was a tall, slightly tanned woman, with light brown hair in a chopstick bun, and wearing a black travelling cloak, tied off at the neck. Wide, brownish-yellow eyes peered back at the team curiously. She did not seem frightened at the fact that there were three armed teens in front of her.

"Who are you?" Miz asked, voice sharp.

"Alkmene," the woman replied, before turning to Asa, "Let me see that arm." She reached forward to grab Asami's injured arm, but the meister pulled away, knives ready.

"Where did you come from?" Asa asked.

"Cave. In the mountains," Alkmene replied distractedly, again reaching for Asa's arm, "I won't hurt you."

Alkmene managed to move quicker, grabbing Asa's arm before she could move away, using her other hand to pull something out of her travelling cloak. A metal flask, and a handkerchief. Alkmene poured some water onto the handkerchief, and then proceeded to dab Asa's wound. Asa didn't make a move to stop her.

By this point, the weapons had transformed back into humans, and watched Alkmene as she dabbed at the gash, careful not to hurt the girl. Felix, somehow, found it most curious. Did most mysterious cloaked women live in caves and stop in the middle of the woods to clean cuts?

"What are you?" Storm, not the most sensitive person on Earth, asked, "Some kind of hermit?"

Alkmene looked up at the children, asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm Felix," Felix introduced, "And that's Echo, Storm, Shadow, Asa, Evie, and Miz."

"Are you from Shibusen?" Alkmene enquired, now replacing the flask and handkerchief into her cloak, pulling out medical gauze and scissors.

"Yes," Shadow answered, hesitating.

Alkmene nodded, not looking up from her work on Asa's arm.

There was something about this woman, Felix thought, that was a bit off. She seemed... sad, almost. Depressed. He wondered why that was.

Alkmene finished up on Asa's wound, and said to the team, "You children should leave."

"Why?" Echo asked, her locks a curious denim.

Alkmene, irked by all the questions merely said, "There are dangerous things in these woods."

"I'm pretty sure we just killed that dangerous thing," Shadow replied.

"You did not," Alkmene simply stated, "Now leave. It is not something children can deal with on their own. Good-bye."

"Wait!" Felix called out, "What are you?" He then shook his head, rephrasing, "I mean…"

"A witch," Alkmene stated, "I am a witch." And, with that, she left.


End file.
